10 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam's southern metropolis can be raucous and chaotic, but it has charm and grace in spades if you scratch beneath the surface, writes Kit Gillet
an hour outside the city limits, experience first-hand the claustrophobic tunnels used by the Viet Cong to evade detection by the American and Southern Vietnamese forces. The section at Cu Chi is just a few hundred metres, but after crawling on your hands and knees through the ill-lit tunnels for just a few minutes, passing store rooms, schools and dormitories, it is hard to imagine spending weeks on end underground. Above, you'll find examples of the many devastating booby traps employed by the rebels to maim and injure any enemy that passed nearby.
even locals head up to the 23rd floor bar of the Sheraton Saigon, which offers great cocktails and easily the best views of the city at night. On the opposite end of the scale, over the past few years pop-up bars have begun appearing across the city - taking advantage of plots left empty by building works - offering cheap beer, barbecued meats and a great atmosphere. There are currently temporary bars on Pasteur Street and Tai Van Lung. Those looking for all-night options, head to the corner of Bui Vien and De Tham in the backpacker district.
encompassing most of District 5 (and some of District 6), the Chinese quarter was once an independent city established by members of Vietnam's Chinese minority, who took refuge from persecution there in the late 18th century. Long engulfed by the growth of Ho Chi Minh, today's Cholon is a world of Chinese touches, temples, tastes and smells. Take a stroll between the beautifully ornate Thien Hau Pagoda, incense-infused Quan Am temple and Nghia An Hoi Quan Pagoda, then head to one of the nearby markets for some dim sum.
France started to influence Vietnam's internal politics in the early 19th century, and by 1887 Saigon was the capital of French Indochina. It would lose that position five years later, but for the next 50 years the architecture, cuisine and flavour of the city would be heavily influenced by the French. Simply take a walk through District 1 and you can see the former Opera House, the City Hall (now home to the City People's Committee), the Hotel Continental (where Graham Greene wrote and based parts of The Quiet American), and countless former French villas.
not for the faint of heart, it offers graphic examples of some of the worst incidents that took place during the Vietnam war and the little-known Chinese invasion that followed, including stark photography, displays of weaponry and the preserved remains of fetuses deformed by wartime chemicals. On the second floor a permanent exhibition displays the work of some of the best photographers who covered the war, including many who died for their efforts.